After 2 Decades in Prison on Wrongful Conviction, Man Dies Following Release

After spending more than two decades in prison, a wrongfully convicted man dies less than two years after his release. His death occurred shortly after filing a $124 million lawsuit against the city, Reuters reports.

In 1989, a New York man was convicted in the fatal shooting of a suspected drug dealer. The conviction was thrown out last year by a federal judge, after the discovery of faulty evidence and the recanting of a witness testimony. According to Reuters, he died on Saturday of complications from an asthma attack that occurred in his Bronx home. He was 55. His tragic death occurred only 20 months after being released from prison.

The wrongfully convicted man had filed a $124 million lawsuit against the city in June for malicious prosecution and violation of constitutional rights. A conference on the case was scheduled for Monday in the U.S. District Court in Brooklyn. Court proceedings have been put on hold while his widow is made the holder of the estate. Once this is done, she can move forward with the case on his behalf.

The man wanted to resume his education and help other wrongfully convicted individuals. He also intended to travel and spent time with his adult daughter, who was a year old at the time of his imprisonment, his attorney said.